The Hedonistic Malcontent
by pinkyridz
Summary: Tag for The Curse. Daniel knew that Stephen would never believe the story they had concocted.
1. Chapter 1

The Hedonistic Malcontent

Sam handed Daniel their official papers, noting and not liking how her friends hand shook. She was actually amazed that he was conscious let alone holding a conversation with the Egyptian official at the border gate leading to the city of Cairo.

The curse of the Goa'uld ribbon device had struck the archaeologist again and that no matter how much Daniel had tried to re assure them that he was getting used to it she knew he was hurting and hurting a lot.

The hour-long journey through the desert, no matter how carefully she'd driven, must have jolted Daniel enough to increase what was she knew was already a monster migraine. He had been woozy and unsteady on his feet as he'd helped get the seriously injured Stephen Rayner onto the jeep and had then sat with his head in his hands most of the way, only lifting his head to help Sam when she was unsure of which way to go.

Unfortunately, they needed Daniel to be firing on a few cylinders though as he was the only one who understood Arabic and that would be a necessity when they reached the hospital and judging by the grim look on Janet's face, they needed to get there as quickly as possible.

Daniel nodded his thanks at the official and then handed the papers back to Sam. "Let's go," he gave her a wan smile and, after Sam had turned onto the main highway leading to Cairo she watched him bury his head in his hands again.

He was so not getting used to it.

Xxx

Sam pulled into the accident and emergency parking lot at As-Salam international hospital Cairo, turned, and gently shook Daniel's shoulder.

"We're here, Daniel," she told him and he slowly lifted his head and squinted at her.

"What?"

"We're at the hospital. You need to…"

"Yeah, yeah," Daniel slowly nodded. "I'm going." He gingerly climbed out of the jeep and made his way to the back of the vehicle. "How's he doing?" He asked Janet as he propped himself up against the trunk.

Janet glanced up from her patient. "He needs surgery and quickly. I think we're looking at his spleen."

"I'll get someone." Daniel pushed himself off the jeep and literally staggered into the accident and emergency department.

"أنا بحاجة إلى مساعدة. وقد سقط صديقي. أنه ينزف داخليا" He told the nurse at the station that Stephen had fallen and was bleeding internally but the nurse looked blankly at him.

"Do you speak English?" He ventured, hoping that she or someone did as his head hurt enough without having to try to translate into Arabic.

Thankfully, the nurse smiled. "I will fetch Doctor Ezzat." She told him and hurried into a back room.

Daniel lent against the desk and closed his eyes to the spinning room, wanting nothing more than to lie down and sleep his migraine off but he knew that Stephen was in a serious condition. He needed to pull himself together until his friend was in the hands of the experts. He could collapse after that.

"I am Doctor Ezzat."

Daniel managed to open his eyes and give the elderly Doctor who then stood before him a quick smile. "My friend, he needs urgent help. He fell…"He quickly began to explain as he led the way to the jeep.

"This is Doctor Janet Fraiser," he introduced Janet. "She is physician from the United States and part of our archaeology research party," he stuck to their cover story. "She found Doctor Rayner. We think he fell off a wall."

Doctor Ezzat nodded and climbed aboard the jeep. "What are his vitals?"

While Janet filled the Egyptian Doctor in with the story they had quickly concocted, Daniel joined Sam who was putting her things back in her pack her pack after giving Janet their official papers and the contact details for their contact at the American embassy. "Hey," she glanced up a smiled. "How's Stephen?"

"A doctor is with him now. Thankfully he speaks English."

"Good." Sam nodded and pulled out her flask of water. "Here," she passed Daniel the flask. "You should drink something."

Daniel pushed her hand away. "That's not a good idea at the moment, Sam," he groaned and rubbed his stomach. "I find that if I drink anything within five hours of being ribboned, it comes straight back up."

"I suppose you're an expert on the ribbon devise now," Sam smiled sadly.

"Suppose I am," Daniel shrugged equally as sadly.

Sam sighed. "Are you sure you don't need to be in hospital yourself?"

"No," Daniel massaged his temples against the jackhammer in his head. "I just need to sleep, throw up and sleep."

"Daniel?" Sam was not convinced by Daniel's quick attempt of bravado.

Daniel gave her a reassuring smile though. "I'll be fine, honest Sam. I've been through this enough times to know that I'll feel much better after a good night's sleep."

Sam frowned and went to continue to argue but the arrival of a team of medical personnel and a stretcher halted the conversation.

Janet jogged over. "They're taking him straight to surgery," she explained.

"Prognosis?" Daniel asked.

"Full recovery if they can stop the bleeding."

"What can we do?" Sam asked.

"Not a lot," Janet smiled sadly. "We'll know more after he's out of surgery," she told them and then gave Daniel her full attention, not liking the fact that he was slumped against the truck rubbing his temples. "How are you doing?" She asked softly.

"Migraine," he admitted.

"Do you need to be admitted?"

"You know that explaining a Goa'uld ribbon induced Migraine is not easy," he sighed. "I just need some pain killers and a good sleep."

Janet stood and took in his pale features, the angry red burn mark on his forehead and his shaking hands. Daniel was right. Attempting to explain his symptoms as a bog standard Migraine would resort to a barrage of tests and they couldn't risk that. They had to stay under the radar.

"Okay," she sighed. "There are some Advil and anti-nausea tablets in the med kit. Try to drink and get some sleep. I'll see if I can bring some stronger pain relief back with me later."

"Okay," Daniel managed to smile back. "Thank you."

"Do you need me to stay with you, Janet?" Sam asked.

"No. I don't think Daniel should be on his own."

"I'm fine," Daniel quickly objected. "Sam should be with you."

"Not happening, Doctor Jackson."

"But…"

"I've got this, Daniel. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'll stay until Stephen is out of surgery and stable. We will need to fill the SGC in after that."

"Yeah," Daniel sighed knowing how difficult that would be. The fact that Osiris had escaped would not go down well and neither would the fact that Stephen might be compromised. Daniel wasn't sure what his friend would remember from the incident when he came round from the surgery. Hopefully the cover story would work but knowing Stephen like he did, he was convinced that he would question them all the way and that wasn't something he could deal with until he felt better than he did now.

No, they needed to regroup and wait until they had a clearer picture before making contact with General Hammond.

"Doctor Fraiser?"

Janet looked up when Doctor Ezzat called her name. "Coming," she called back and turned and jogged to catch up with the medical personnel who were pushing Stephen's gurney into the hospital.

Sam and Daniel watched her go and then Sam helped a very wobbly archaeologist in to the jeep.

"We'll soon have you tucked up in bed," she told him as she started the engine, not totally convinced that her friend didn't need to be hooked up to a bag of Janet's good stuff.

xxx

Sam stirred Daniel over to his bed in the hotel room. "Sit down," she gently help him sit and Daniel immediately placed his head in his hands with a groan.

"G'd it hurts, Sam," he admitted softly.

Sam frowned as she quickly closed all the drapes. "I thought you were getting used to it?"

"I lied. Feel like crap."

After switching on the fan over Daniel's bed, Sam knelt at his side and started to remove his boots. "Let's get you into bed."

Daniel unbutton his loose shirt with shaking hands. "What time is it?"

Sam quickly tossed his boots into the corner of the room. "Just gone six," she told him. "It's beginning to cool down now."

"Good. It's so hot." Daniel let his hands flop down at his side, the actually act of holding them up proving to be exhausting.

Sam took pity on him and gently pushed him down on the bed. "I've got this," she told him as she pulled off his socks. "Try and relax."

Daniel groaned and covered his eyes with an arm. He allowed his friend to remove his pants and his shirt, feeling slightly embarrassed yet grateful at the same time.

Sam then pulled a sheet up to his waist. "Don't go to sleep yet," she advised. "You need to take some medication."

"Uh huh," Daniel shifted slightly until his aching hips felt more comfortable. "Thanks Sam," he mumbled, feeling helpless.

Sam ran her fingers through his hair. "No problem. I won't be long," she promised and then quickly made her way to the bathroom, poured some water into a glass and soaked a towel. When she returned to Daniel's bedside, she found him groaning and weakly rolling his head from side to side.

"How bad is it really, Daniel?" She asked as she grabbed the medication out of her pack.

"B-bad," Daniel admitted.

"Scale of 1-10?"

"A-bout a 20," he groaned again and panted in an attempt not to cry out in agony.

"Easy," Sam soothed and then gently eased his head up off the pillow slightly. "Just take a small sip," she told him as she brought the glass of water to his lips after giving him the medication. "We need the tablets to stay down."

Daniel took a couple of quick sips and sighed in relief when Sam lowered his head back down and started to gently wipe a cool cloth over his forehead, down his cheeks and then across his chest.

"How's that?"

"Nice."

"Good. Just try and sleep."

Daniel struggled to relax, struggled to sleep. The pain in his head was all consuming as was the nausea rolling in his stomach. "How do you think Janet is getting on?" He asked trying take his mind off how awful he felt.

"I should think that Stephen is still in surgery," Sam said as she folded the damp cloth in two and then placed it on his forehead. "We'll know more soon, Daniel. Just take some deep breaths, let the medication work."

"I'm trying," Daniel took a shuddering breath. "I really am."

"I know." Sam sighed heavily. "Just give it time."

Sam sat Daniel's bedside willing him to sleep and when, after what seemed to be hours to her, his breaths finally evened out, she sighed in relief.

At least while he slept he wasn't in pain.

Xxx

A ringing phone pulled Sam out of a light doze and she quickly picked it up so it didn't disturb Daniel who had been sleeping for nearly three hours now.

"Hello?" She whispered as she turned her back on Daniel to keep the noise down to a minimum.

 _"Hey Sam. It's Janet."_

"Good to hear your voice. How's Stephen?"

 _"Out of surgery and stable."_

"Thank goodness."

 _"Yeah. He's heavily sedated but out of danger now. They managed to stop the bleeding and thankfully were able to save his spleen."_

"That's great."

 _"He's got a couple of broken ribs and a fractured wrist but he should make a complete recovery."_

"Has he been lucid at all?"

 _"Nope. They're keeping him sedated overnight so we've got a bit of time to come up with a believable explanation."_

"Good."

 _"How's Daniel?"_

"He's," Sam turned and watched Daniel as he turned onto his back with a groan. It was the first movement he'd made since he'd fallen asleep. "He's getting restless," she told Janet. "Thankfully he's been asleep most of the time. He had a killer migraine but the medication worked quickly, thank goodness."

 _"Good."_

Daniel groaned again and turned onto his side and Sam could see he was getting uncomfortable which was probably due to the medication wearing off.

"How long are you going to be?" She quickly asked Janet.

 _"I should be back in about an hour. I just want to settle Stephen and then I'll make my way back. Do you need anything?"_

"Food of some sort?"

 _"I'll pick something up."_

"Okay."

"Sam?"

Sam turned when Daniel whispered her name. "Hey," she smiled. "I'm just talking to Janet."

"Stephen?"

"Is going to be just fine."

"Uh huh." Daniel nodded slightly and covered his eyes with his hand. "Is there any more Advil?"

Sam returned her attention to the phone call. "I've gotta go, Janet."

 _"Of course. Make sure he drinks something, Sam. I'll be as quick as I can."_

"Will do. See you in a bit. Be careful."

 _"Okay."_

Sam said her goodbyes, disconnected the call and went to Daniel's side. "Here," she shook two Advil out of a pill bottle and grabbed a glass of water. "Can you sit up a bit?"

Daniel nodded and slowly inched up in bed but had to pause when the room looped violently around him. "God," he groaned and ducked his head.

"Daniel?"

"Dizzy," he admitted. "Really dizzy." He sat, head bowed, trying desperately to bring his surroundings into focus but wave after wave of hot nausea washed over him. "Gonna be sick," he moaned eventually as he swung his legs off the bed.

Sam quickly stood and steadied him. "Easy," she soothed as she then guided him over to the bathroom.

"I've got this," Daniel managed to lift his head when they got there.

"You sure?" Sam frowned as he swayed in the doorway.

"Uh huh," Daniel mumbled before feeling his way along the wall until he reached the toilet where he then knelt and waited out the inevitable.

Within minutes, he lost the battle with his nausea

xxx

Daniel sat back with a groan and rested back against the bathroom wall, the cold ties feeling wonderful against his overheated, sweaty body. He tipped his head back, closed his eyes and wrapped an arm round his still churning stomach.

"Have you finished?"

He slowly shook his head when Sam knelt at his side. "Don't think so," he managed to whisper. "I still feel really sick."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing," he turned his head to face his friend. "I'll be okay," he managed to reassure although he felt far from okay. The vomiting spell had been particularly violent and had left him feeling weak and shaky.

Sam sat down and handed him a damp cloth. "Janet will be back soon."

"Uh huh." Daniel took the cloth and wiped his face, the coolness causing him to shiver and break out in goose bumps as his temperature began to rise. The fever that usually went hand in hand with the effects of the ribboning was kicking in fast. He handed the cloth back to Sam. "Thanks," he gave her a quick smile and rested his head back again. "I'm so tired."

"I know you are," Sam, sighed. "You would be better off in bed you know."

"Don't want to risk it. I want to stay here. I'm going to be throwing up for a while I'm afraid, Sam," he told her knowing that the vomiting would more than likely go on for several hours or perhaps several days like it had after his run in with Ammonet.

"I could bring you a bucket?"

Daniel just shook his head in response and listed to one side, desperately wanting to lie down again.

Sam seemed to read his mind. "Why don't you lie down, Daniel? Rest your head in my lap."

Daniel wanted to protest but he was exhausted so welcomed the gentle hand that helped him lie down. "I feel awful," he admitted as he turned onto his side and rested his aching head in his friends lap.

"I know you do," Sam sighed as she started to card her fingers through his sweat soaked hair. "Try and rest. Janet won't be long."

Daniel nodded and closed his eyes, trying his hardest to concentrate on Sam's soothing action rather than his aching body and the rolling of his stomach.

This was so not the way this day was supposed to end.

Jack was going to be so pissed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay." Janet injected a healthy dose of Morphine into Daniel's port. "You'll soon feel more comfortable," she smiled at her friend who was propped up in bed once more.

She had returned to the hotel room to find Sam supporting Daniel as he continued to struggle with his nausea and she had instantly regretted that she hadn't insisted that the young archaeologist spend the night in hospital. Luckily, she had managed to pilfer a bag of fluids from the hospital though and she had quickly helped Daniel back to bed. Within minutes, she had set up an IV and he now had much needed pain relief and anti-nausea medication running through his veins.

After double-checking his medication, she perched on the edge of his bed and inserted a thermometer into his ear. "Feeling miserable?" She smiled gently.

"Oh yeah," Daniel agreed.

"The medication will kick in soon."

"I know."

They sat in silence until the thermometer bleeped. "101.5," Janet sighed. "Do you think you can swallow some Tylenol?"

"I'll try."

Janet grabbed the medication and handed him two capsules. Daniel rolled them in his hand for a while, waiting for his stomach to settle a little and then quickly popped them in his mouth and washed them down with the smallest sips of water he could, knowing that if he drank anymore he'd only be vomiting the medication back up again. He gave Janet the glass of water back and rested his head back against his pillows.

"Before the Morphine gets a grip," Janet placed the glass on the floor. "We need to discuss what we're going to tell the SGC."

Daniel closed his eyes. "The truth," he shrugged.

"About about Steven?"

"What about Steven?" Sam asked as she walked over to Daniel's bed and handed Janet a plate of food.

"Well," Janet took the plate. "I think that we should suggest we take him back to the SGC," she stated and took a bite of a sandwich.

"Is he well enough?" Sam asked as she sat down on her bed.

"He is stable and if the General organizes a flight with medical staff, he should be okay. I'm just worried about what he would say if we left him here."

"I agree," Daniel, sighed as he inched down in bed, the draw of the Morphine making him drowsy. "Steven is not stupid. I know he'll question everything."

"If he stays here, one of us should stay with him and I don't think that would be possible," Sam interjected. "I mean, the obvious person to stay with him is you, Daniel and there is no way that you are fit enough at the moment or dispensable to the Stargate programme right now. The powers that be will not sanction that."

"Exactly," Janet agreed. "If Stephen comes back with us we can control things better."

"Talk to the General," Daniel turned onto his side and pulled his sheet up to his shoulders. "Take advice from him," he yawned. "Gonna crash now," he added with a sigh.

Janet straightened his covers. "You do that. We'll sort things and with any luck, we'll get you home tomorrow."

"Uh huh," Daniel mumbled on the cusp of sleep.

Sam and Janet continued their meal in silence, allowing Daniel the peace and quiet he needed and in no time, the sick man was snoring softly.

"He's not well enough to deal with Steven," Janet sighed. "He's going to be asking a ton of questions in the morning and there is no way Daniel will cope with that in the condition he is in. We need to get them both home."

Sam stood and held her hand out for Janet's now empty plate. "I'll make the call," she sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be an easy call to make.

Why were things always so complicated?

xxxx

Jack whistled as he wandered down the corridor towards the General's office, feeling refreshed after a relaxing week of non-fishing with Teal'c. He was now looking forward catching up with his remain teammates over a steak at O'Malley's, assuming that Daniel was back from his professor's funeral that was.

First of all though, he needed to make sure that the Earth hadn't needed saving during his 'incommunicado' stay in Minnesota and he popped his head round the General's office door and grinned.

"I'm back!"

General Hammond looked up from his paper work. "So I see, Colonel."

"Have you missed me?"

"You'd best take a seat," General Hammond placed his pen down and sat back in his chair and Jack instantly took in the seriousness of his commanding officer's manner.

His heart began to race. "Sir?" He frowned as he quickly took a seat. Something was wrong.

"There was an incident in your absence, Colonel," Hammond began.

"What sort of incident, sir?"

"There is no quick way of saying this…"

"Go on."

"Doctor Jackson discovered Goa'uld writing on an ancient Canopic Jar while attending Doctor Jordan's funeral."

"Of course he did," Jack sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair, not liking where this was going.

"He returned with the jar, which Doctor Jackson had identified as burial vessel belonging to the Egyptian Goddess Isis and Major Carter then analyzed its contents."

"And?"

"An MRI of the jar reveled a dead Goa'uld symbiote which was subsequently removed."

"Of course it did."

"It didn't end there."

"Of course it didn't." Sarcasm laced Jack's responses.

"There was another Jar belonging to the collection and that Jar was missing. The matching Osiris Jar had been cataloged at the museum but it was deduced to have been stolen along with a gold amulet was dated to have been 10,000 years old. Doctor Jackson then came to the conclusion that Doctor Jordan may have been murdered, along with a technician who performed the initial carbon dating on the amulet, discovering how old it actually was."

"Murdered for what they knew?"

"It look's like it."

"And?"

"To cut a long story short, Jack. Doctor Steven Rayner, a former colleague of Doctor Jackson's and Doctor Jordan's right hand man, suddenly disappeared and it was assumed that he'd stolen the Jar and the amulet. Intel informed us that he'd boarded a plane heading for Egypt."

"And?"

"And, Doctor Jackson, Major Carter and Doctor Fraiser followed."

"To do what, exactly?"

"To stop Doctor Rayner."

"To stop him doing what?"

"Escaping. We couldn't rule out the fact that the Osiris Jar may have contained a live symbiot."

"And?"

"It did."

Jack stood and started to pace in frustration. "Why was I not contacted?"

"We tried, Colonel but there was no reply from the cell we gave Teal'c."

Jack let out a heavy breath, knowing that the actual lack of communication was his fault – he was the one that smashed the cell phone after Daniel had asked Teal'c for a translation. Damn it to hell, he should have known – Daniel wouldn't have contacted them if wasn't an emergency.

"Where are they now?"

"We are just organizing a medevac with the Egyptian government."

Jack's mouth went dry. "Why a medevac, Sir?"

"It turns out that Doctor Rayner was not Osiris's target. When the team reached the pyramid they found him badly injured and then ran into Osiris who had taken over the body of Doctor Sarah Gardiner another of Doctor Jackson's colleagues and someone who had been helping him with his investigations. Apparently she had followed Doctor Rayner to the pyramid who had actually stolen the amulet which turned out to be a key of some sorts which activated a transportation device."

"Did they stop Osiris leaving?"

"I'm afraid not. He transported off the planet."

"So the medevac is for Doctor Rayner?"

"Yes. He underwent surgery in Cairo and we deemed him to be a security risk and, as he is stable, it has been decided that he should continue to recover here so we can ensure that he doesn't ask too many questions."

"Has the plane left yet?"

"No. It's scheduled to leave within the hour."

"Permission to retrieve my team, Sir."

"Permission granted."

Jack turned to leave.

"Go easy on Doctor Jackson," the General stated, halting his movements though.

"And why is that, Sir? He turned and gave his C/O his attention once more.

"Doctor Gardiner was a good friend of his."

"Of course she was."

"Also, Doctor Fraiser reported that Doctor Jackson is suffering from the after effects of the ribbon devise again."

"Of course he is," Jack sighed heavily. "Is there anything else, Sir?"

"No. I think that about covers everything, Colonel."

"Of course it does," Jack muttered under his breath as he then left the room.

Damn it to hell, he should have gone with Daniel!

Xxx

After contacting the base and filling the General in on the events of the day, Sam and Janet had whiled away the long hours of Daniel watching by checking their equipment, packing and playing cards.

The General had informed them that the plane had left Colorado Springs and was on route to Cairo.

"What time is it now?" Janet asked as she sauntered out of the bathroom after taking a long, relaxing bath.

"Just gone ten," Sam sighed as she clambered into bed. "The plane is scheduled to touch down at six and the taxis are due at five and five thirty."

"Does Colonel O'Neill know what's happened?"

"Apparently."

"How did he take the news?"

"I don't think anything shocks him anymore." Sam shrugged as brushed her hair.

"Is the General going deal with the officials?"

"Yeah. Fingers crossed it will be an easy passage out of Egypt. I'm more worried about what will happen when we get back to the base."

"Oh?"

"The whole Steven situation is going to be difficult to deal with."

"Yes, really tricky," Janet agreed as she crossed to check on Daniel. "I don't think that that young man will be easy to fob off."

"I agree and so does Daniel. I think those two have locked horns several times over the years. There are some jealousy issues involved."

Janet perched on the edge of Daniel's bed and placed a thermometer in the sleeping man's ear. "Those issues will magnify if the powers that be chose to tell Steven the truth," she sighed and waited for the readout. "It's going to be a tough few weeks for both men."

"Hopefully Steven won't remember anything and we won't have to go through it although we are still going to have to come up with some fancy story to explain where Sarah has gone."

"Well." Janet pulled a pre-filled syringe out of her bag and stood. "Daniel is going to have to be in better shape to deal with that," she sighed as she empty the medication into a port on his IV.

"No improvement?"

"His temps up slightly again," Janet shrugged. "But, he's obviously comfortable enough to sleep." After hanging another bag of fluids, she dimmed his bedside lamp and crossed to her own bed. "I think we should sleep while he does," she gave Sam a sad smile and then climbed into bed. "I'll head for the hospital first thing, organize an ambulance, deal with Steven and then meet you and Daniel at the American airbase."

"Sounds like a plan," Sam yawned and dimmed her own light.

Janet sighed as she reached for her own lamp. "I think we both need a good night's sleep to be able to deal with tomorrow."

"Hell, yeah," Sam chuckled. "Sleep well."

"You too."

Although the heat of the night was overly oppressive, both women were exhausted so it didn't take them long to drop off.

xxx

The 'flying emergency room' wasn't a luxurious plane but the small seats at the rear were comfortable enough for medical personnel and any additional passengers to get some rest on route to their pick up and the drones of the engines of the C130 had finally lulled Jack into a light dose.

The sixteen-hour flight seemed endless to him and Jack had been tossing and turning for hours, trying but failing to not worry about his team. The only additional information he'd had about the welfare of Daniel was that Sam had informed the General that he was finally sleep and Jack had read between the lines that it had been a difficult few hours before he did sleep. Jack himself had been on the other end of a ribbon devise so knew how uncomfortable the after effects were but Daniel had had more than his fair share of being ribboned and each time, it had taken him longer to get over the crippling migraines and nausea. In fact, Janet had been more than a little concerned after the last time, questioning if there may be a collective effect of being ribboned several times in a short succession.

Daniel had spent nearly a week in the infirmary after the last one and Jack knew that his friend would be restricted to bed rest for equally as long this time. Actually, if you added in the grief and guilt of losing another person who was close to him, the young archaeologist was going to be one sick, depressed bunny that was for sure.

xxx

Janet quickly unhooked Daniel's medical equipment and started to pack it away. The concierge and just rang the room with their wake up call and she and Sam had instantly sprang out of bed. Sam was taking a shower while she woke her patient.

"Daniel?" Janet gently shook the drowsy man's shoulder. "It's time to go."

Daniel just groaned in response and turned his head away. Janet persevered though. "Come on, Daniel. We've got to go." She tapped his too warm cheek and he eventually opened his eyes.

"Go where?" He muttered.

"The plane touches down in an hour."

"Plane?"

"We're going home."

Daniel nodded and closed his eyes again. "Oh, no you don't," Janet urged. "It's time to get going." She stood and pulled down the sweat soaked sheet that had covered the sick man as he'd restlessly slept. "I know you're not feeling great but we have to get moving, Daniel."

Daniel groaned again but managed to sit up. "What time is it?" He asked as he swung his legs off the bed.

"Nearly five. Your car will be here in half an hour." Janet continued to roll up the IV tubing as Daniel placed his head in his hands. The room was looping round him making him feel nauseous and unsteady.

"I feel like crap," he admitted with a heavy sigh.

Janet glanced at him while she packed. "I know you do," she sympathized. "I'll give you something in a minute. Do you feel up to a shower?"

"No. I don't feel up to anything but sleeping," he lifted his head and stared at Janet through blood shot eyes. "Can't you knock me out?" He pleaded.

"Not until you're on the plane. I've got to go to the hospital to collect Steven so you and Sam need to be able to get yourselves over to the airstrip. I can't give you anything that will make you too drowsy, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Daniel buried his head in his hands again. "Give me a minute. I'll be good to go."

Janet sighed as she zipped up her bag. Daniel was in no condition to go anywhere other than his bed really but unfortunately, he had no choice in the matter and, after adding her bag to the others by the door, she crossed to his side.

"I'm just going to give you a shot for your nausea," she told him as she knelt next to him. "I'm going to hold back on the Morphine until we get you on the plane so you'll have to manage on Advil and Tylenol until then I'm afraid." She quickly injected the anti-nausea medication into Daniel's bicep and then grabbed the blister pack of painkillers she'd left out, popped out two and handed them to her patient. "Here you are. Try and dry swallow them."

Daniel lifted his head, took them from Janet and then quickly swallowed them, grimacing at the bitter after taste. "All gone," he gave Janet a sad smile and she reached for the pile of clothes Sam had left at the bottom of the bed.

"Do you need help"? She asked as she handed him his pants.

"I've got this," Daniel assured as he took them off her. "Where's Sam?" he asked as he started to pull them on.

"She's in the shower." Janet stood again and crossed to the window where she noticed that her taxi had just pulled up. "My car is here," she turned back to Daniel. "The other one is due in half an hour," she smiled. "You've got time for the medication to work," she reassured him and, after grabbing her bags, she made her way over to the bathroom at the same time as Sam opened the door.

"My car is here," she told her and then glanced over her shoulder at Daniel who was making a valiant attempt at dressing himself. "I've giving him some pain killers and anti-nausea medication but he's still shaky."

"I've got him," Sam smiled.

"You sure?" Janet was torn between her two patients.

"Positive. Steven needs you. Daniel and I have been in this situation many times."

"Yes," Janet glanced at Daniel and then back at Sam. "Of course," she smiled, knowing that SG1 always had each others backs no matter what shape they were in. "Right." She picked up her bag again when the sound of the taxi's horn came. "I'll meet you at the airfield in an hour."

"Okay." Sam smiled. "Keep safe."

"You too."

Sam held the door open and Janet hurried out. The sooner she had both patients on that plane with expert medical help the better.


	3. Chapter 3

"Half an hour till touch down, Colonel."

"Thanks." Jack smiled at the young medic and stretched the knots out of his weary body. He'd forgotten how exhausting long haul travel was. He could only imagine how tired others were, especially Daniel who had not only flown to Egypt but also to Chicago and back twice in the matter of a couple of days.

He just hoped that the General would place the young archaeologist on stand down until he recovered from not only his ribboning but also the jet lag which would probably exacerbate his physical condition.

Jack began to feel guilty for enjoying his few days fishing now.

When the plane began to dip slightly, he pulled up the shutter on his window and noted the expanse of desert below and he could just about making out several pyramids in the distance. He felt a pang of sadness for his friend. Daniel would have loved the chance to explore the ancient land and Jack made a mental promise that as soon as the archaeologist was well enough, he would make sure he would take him on a trip back to Egypt so he could indulged his passion without the threat of running into a Goa'uld.

If that were at all possible these days.

Xxx

Sam glanced at Daniel as she fastened her pack. He was still sitting on the bed, head in hand, thankfully fully dressed but still looking totally miserable. "Are you going to make this?" She asked.

Daniel slowly lifted his head. "Yeah," he sighed. "Headache is beginning to recede," he attempted to reassure with a smile but Sam knew that he was lying.

"Sure it is," she mumbled under her breath as she added her pack to Daniel's at the door. She turned back to Daniel when there was a toot from a horn. "The taxi's here," she told him.

"I'm up. I'm up," Daniel slowly pushed himself up onto his feet where he stood, eyes closed and swaying.

Sam quickly crossed to his side and took his arm. "We'll go at your speed," she promised and gently guided him out of the room, grabbing their packs before closing the door behind them.

She hated how her friend shook and groaned as he shuffled down the corridor to the elevator and how he then lent against the wall with his eyes still tightly closed as they descended to the lobby of the hotel.

"We're nearly there." Sam continued to offer her support as they slowly made their way to the taxi where Daniel managed to clamber in and quickly curl into a ball. Sam quickly reached over and pulled a seat belt round him and, after putting her own seat belt on, she gave the driver the address of the air field. Sitting back, she took Daniel's hand in hers, hoping he took comfort from her small action of support. The fact that he managed to return the squeeze she'd given it, gave her hope that he would manage the short journey without passing out on her.

"Hang in there, Daniel. We won't be long." With her hand firmly clasped in his, she watched the slums of Cairo flash past them and found herself longing for the coldness of Colorado Springs and the comfort of her own bed.

It was time to go home.

Xxx

Jack hurried down the airplane steps when the ambulance pulled up and then jogged over to offer his help.

"Hey, Doc," he smiled at Janet when she clambered out of the back of the ambulance. "Good to see you."

Janet glanced up and returned the smile. "Good to see you too, sir."

Jack nodded and then stood to one side to allow the medic team access to their patient. "Where's Carter and Daniel?" He asked, peering into the ambulance, expecting to see the rest of his team.

"They should be here any minute," Janet told him as she and the team quickly brought the still unconscious Steven out of the ambulance. "Their taxi was following us," she nodded towards the entrance of the airstrip. "Here they are."

Jack turned and quickly noted the second vehicle. "How's Daniel"?

"Not good," Janet called as she jogged alongside the gurney as the medics took charge. "He'll need your help, sir."

"Copy that," Jack turned back and gave Janet a sad smile before hurrying across the private strip with a second medic team hot on his tail. "Hey, Carter," he greeted Sam who was climbing out of the taxi. "How ya doin'?"

"Good to see you, sir," Sam smiled, opening the car door on Daniel's side. "I think Daniel and I are more than ready to go home."

"I'm sure you are," Jack popped his head round the door and sighed at the sight of his archaeologist who was sitting with his head in his hands. "I don't know, Danny," he tutted, kneeling down next to him. "I can't let you out of my sight for five minutes, can I?"

"Hey, Jack," Daniel slowly lifted his head.

"Hey yourself," Jack smiled softly. "Do you think you can stand?"

"Sure," Daniel nodded but made no attempt to move.

Jack sighed. "The art of standing requires you to actually move, sand monkey." Jack reached over and undid Daniel's seat belt, gently manhandled him round in the car seat and then to his feet where he had to support him as he began to sway. "Easy," he soothed and a medic hurried to Daniel's side. "Let's get you on the gurney. You can go back to sleep then."

"I can walk," Daniel protested as they shuffled over to the waiting gurney.

"Sure you can," Jack rolled his eyes as the archaeologist willingly allowed them to help him lie down where he immediately flung an arm over his eyes. "Sure you can."

"Let's go," the medic then ordered and, as the medical team took charge of their second patient, Jack hung back for Sam.

"How bad?" He asked her, quickly following them.

"He's been ribboned, sir," Sam shrugged. "Headache, vomiting, fever – the works."

"And you?"

"A bit stiff," Sam admitted with a sigh. "The Goa'uld didn't care for our presence, sir."

"Yeah, so I've heard."

"Sorry we couldn't stop her escape, sir."

"Nothing to be sorry for. The odds were stacked against you Carter."

"We tried our best."

"I know you did. This is conversation for another time. Let's get you home first."

"Yeah," Sam sighed tiredly as she climbed the plane steps, wanting no more than to sleep and pretend the last few days hadn't happened.

The fallout from this disastrous mission was not going to be pleasant.

xxx

Janet sat down with a heavy sigh and accepted the mug of coffee Jack handed her. "Thanks, sir."

They were two hours in to the flight and Janet had spent most of the time helping tend to the two patients while Sam had filled Jack in as much as she could. She was now sleeping in the seat next to Janet while Jack sat opposite them.

"How are they?" Jack asked, picking up his own drink.

"Well," Janet blew on her hot drink to cool it down. "Steven is still out thanks to the drugs in his system. His vitals are stable so I'm happy with his condition for now."

"And Daniel?"

Janet rolled her eyes. "Daniel's being Daniel," she shrugged. "He fought the drugs as hard as he could."

"Of course he did."

"He was more concerned about everyone else. I did have to bring my stern side out I'm afraid. He's flat out now and the extra sedation should keep him under until we get back to base."

"Good."

Janet sat back and drank her drink, one eye on the two injured men at all times, checking that the medical personnel were being as attentive as possible.

Jack watched her. "They're in good hands, Doc. There's not much else you can do. Why don't you get your head down for a while? Carter was exhausted so you can't tell me you're not."

Janet slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, it's been a long few days," she admitted, closing her eyes and resting her head back. "I'm so tired."

Jack reached and took the mug out of the exhausted medic's hand, knowing that she'd be asleep in minutes.

Janet barely reacted to his actions. She just pulled her legs up on the seat and rested her head on Sam's shoulder. "Wake me if there is an emergency," she mumbled sleepily.

"Sure," Jack promised as he stood and covered the now sleeping women with a blanket.

They'd been through so much and the same feeling of guilt he had over Daniel's situation churned his stomach.

Once again he questioned the logic behind sending them into such a potentially dangerous situation without back up.

Questions needed answering.

Xxx

Janet closed her file, drank the dregs of her coffee and stood. They had been back at the base for several hours during which she had settled her patients and she was now looking forward to a long soak in a bath and a catch up with her daughter.

After returning the file to her filing cabinet, she grabbed her coat and started to put it on, pausing when there was a knock door though. "Sir," she smiled at Jack when he poked his head round. She continued to fasten her coat. "You've just caught me. I'm on my way home."

"Good. The General wanted to make sure you were following orders."

"I am," Janet nodded and grabbed her bag. "Has Sam left yet?"

"Yeah, I've just come from her office after shooing her out."

"Good." Janet smiled and patted down her pocket to make sure she had her keys. "Steven is stable in ICU and I expect him to make a full recovery. Daniel is fast asleep in iso room four," she told Jack, knowing the reason behind his visit. "Do not wake him, sir," she added as she walked over to the door. "No nudging of his bed. No prodding of the sleeping archaeologist," she warned.

"What?" Jack shrugged nonchalantly.

Janet chuckled as she flicked the light off. "You won't be able to help yourself. Daniel is still running a fever and needs to sleep."

Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets as he then followed her down the corridor leading to the isolation rooms. "You wound me, Doc. You know I wouldn't…"

"You hit the nail on the head. I know you Colonel and, yes you would." She stopped at the elevator, pressed the button and waited. "Let him rest, he needs it. I'm off to give my girl a hug." The elevator pinged and the doors opened. "I'll be back in the morning. Nite, sir."

"Yeah, nite," Jack smiled. "Give Cass a hug from me too."

"Will do," Janet smiled back as the door closed.

Jack stood for a moment to gather his thoughts and then turned to make his way down to iso room four.

He would finish his reports while he watched Daniel sleep.

Xxx

Jack glanced up from his file when he heard Daniel groan softly.

The actual 'watching' Daniel part of the last couple of hours had been boring but at least he had now completed his report in record time.

Daniel groaned again and turned onto his side, dragging the various wires attached to his body with him.

"Daniel?" Jack frowned, pulling his chair closer to Daniel's bed. "You waking up, buddy?"

"Nope," Daniel muttered, bringing up a shaking hand to shield his eyes.

"Nope?" Jack chuckled, knowing that his friend was firing on depleted cylinders.

"Don't wanna wake up. My head hurts."

"Yes, well. Getting your brain scrambled by a ribbon thingy will cause that."

"Infirmary?"

"Yup."

"Steven?"

"Here too."

"He okay?"

"He's in the ICU but Doc say's he gonna be just fine."

"He been awake?"

"Nope. Why?"

Daniel lowered his hand and peered at Jack. "Not sure I'm up to explaining things," he shrugged, adding an 'ow' when pain exploded behind his eyes again.

"You need me to get a nurse?"

"I'm fine," Daniel mumbled and covered his eyes again. "Been there, done this recovery from being ribboned before. Need to sleep."

"I'm not stopping you." Jack smiled and straightened Daniel's covers. "Sleep away."

"Yeah." Daniel let go a breathy sigh and shifted round on the bed to try to find a comfortable position, finally ending up on his back with an arm flung over his eyes. "It's hot in here," he sighed again, pushing his covers down with his free hand.

"Nope," Jack stood and placed his hand on Daniel's forehead. "It's not hot in here. You've got a nice little fever burning there, buddy."

"Of course I have," Daniel groaned in frustration. "Perhaps," he cleared his throat, lowered his hand and looked at Jack. "Perhaps that nurse might be a good idea," he smiled as best he could. "I'm not feeling that great."

"Yeah," Jack nodded and patted Daniel's chest. "I won't be long."

"Kay." Daniel covered his eyes again as Jack went in search of a nurse and, when he began to shiver in response to his climbing fever, he reached for his blankets and snuggled into their warmth.

Being ribboned sucked big time.

Xxx

"Right." Janet removed the thermometer and smiled at her patient. "Your temp is down some. How do you feel?"

"Better than I did yesterday," Daniel nodded and rested his head back.

"How's the headache?"

"Dull roar."

"Good. Any nausea?"

"A little but I think it's because I'm hungry."

"Hungry is a good sign," Janet continued to smile as she noted her findings on Daniel's chart. "How about I rustle you up some breakfast while Linda helps you shower?"

"Sounds like a good plan," Daniel agreed. "I need to wash the sand out of my hair."

"I'm sure you do." Janet hooked the chart on the end of his bed. "Take it easy though. You've been horizontal for a while."

"I will," Daniel promised as he sat up straighter. "What time did Jack leave?"

"It was gone three according to the duty nurse and even then she had to kick him out for snoring too loudly."

"He's pissed isn't he?"

"Oh yeah."

"Feeling guilty too?"

"Oh yeah."

"Dealing with a guilty Jack O'Neill is not going to be easy."

"No it isn't," Janet agreed.

"We did what we thought was right at the time, Janet."

"Yes we did but I don't think that Jack sees it the same way."

"Well, he doesn't really have much of a choice – what's done is done," Daniel shrugged. "How's Steven this morning?"

"Showing signs of waking."

"Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

Janet patted Daniel's covered leg. "He's going to be fine, Daniel. He will just be out of action for a few weeks."

"Good." Daniel nodded slowly. "I'm glad. He didn't deserve to die like that."

"No he didn't," Janet agreed softly. "Although I think that the powers that be may have hoped for the alternative outcome. I know there have been several in-depth meetings about what is going to be said to him by way of explanation. General Hammond has asked for a briefing as soon as you feel up to it."

"Yeah. Right," Daniel began loosen his covers. "I'd best get showering then."

"I'll fetch Linda. Do not attempt to get out of bed without her." Janet moved his roll-away table to one side and then went in search of her nurse.

Daniel rested back against his pillows with a heavy sigh, wishing he was still unconscious.

This was not going to be an easy day.


	4. Chapter 4

Daniel sighed and rested back in his chair. The post mission briefing had been going on for nearly two hours now. They had covered most bases into the logistics and outcomes and had started on the damage limitation part.

"So," General Hammond reached for the fax that Washington had sent. He pushed copies of the document towards the tired members of SG1 sat opposite. "It has been suggested that we go along the lines of a collapsed wall in the pyramid," he continued. "I think the thought behind it being that Doctor Rayner sustained a head injury which resulted in a degree of memory loss."

Daniel picked up his copy of the fax, glanced at it and then abandoned his attempt at reading it due to his still blurred vision. Although he was feeling better than he did, he still had a headache and his stomach was unsettled. The last thing he do was to go through all this now, especially as he knew just what Steven's response would be.

"I'm sorry, sir," he pushed the paper back towards the General. "I know Steven and doubt that he would buy that."

"I know it's a long shot," General Hammond agreed, "but we are struggling to come up with anything else."

"How about we tell him the truth," Jack quickly suggested. "Daniel, didn't you say that he had no family?"

"Yes," Daniel nodded. "His parents disowned him when he was at college. Something about missing money. I know he had no contact with them after that, even when his sister was killed in a car accident. Doctor Jordan and S-Sarah became his family." Daniel hung his head when his eyes filled with tears as the realization of their loss suddenly hit him. "He's alone now," he muttered softly as he scratched the table and then flexed his fingers, feeling awkward and emotional. He just wanted to lie down, sleep and pretend the last few days hadn't happened at all. His two worlds had collided and the fall out was devastating. The Goa'uld were slowly destroying everything he'd loved or cared for and he was sick and tired of it all.

Sensing Daniel's withdrawal and devastation, Jack quickly cleared his throat. "So," he continued, "push comes to shove we could bring Doctor Rayner into the fold. I'm sure his knowledge would be invaluable to the Archaeology department, General."

"I agree," General Hammond nodded. "What are your thoughts, Doctor Jackson?"

Daniel sighed heavily and then slowly lifted his head. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "Steven is the sort of person who would either relish that opportunity to join the programme but equally would relish exposing it to the world, sir. He is kind of – volatile," he shrugged with a sad smile.

"Then we ship him off somewhere he can't do any damage," Jack stated. "Either that or we…"

The telephone ringing interrupted Jacks following suggestion.

General Hammond quickly answered it. "Hammond. Yes. I see. Yes he is. Understood." He finished the call and glanced at Daniel. "Doctor Rayner has regained consciousness and is asking for you, Doctor Jackson," he informed him.

Daniel nodded and slowly pushed himself upright. "I suppose we better get this over with then," he sighed.

"I'll come with you," Jack pocketed the fax from Washington and stood.

Daniel gave him a sad smile. "I can handle this on my own, Jack."

"I'll be there for back up." Jack bit back the – 'like I should have been in Egypt' statement that was on the tip of his tongue. This wasn't going to be an easy conversation and Daniel didn't look as if he was up to the walk to the ICU let alone dealing with the stress of the situation to come. He owed him his support.

"Can I suggest you play it by ear, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond stated. "Go with the Washington guide lines to begin with if the topic comes up but if that doesn't work, switch stories."

"Yes, sir," Daniel nodded.

"If you need any back up, just holler."

"I will, sir."

"Good luck."

"Thank you," Daniel took a deep breath and the slowly made his way out of the office with Jack shadowing his every step.

Time to get the show on the road.

Xxx

Daniel slowly lowered himself into the chair next to Steven's bed. "Hey," he smiled at his friend who was propped up in bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like road kill," Steven shrugged, fiddling with his nasal cannula. "Where am I?"

Daniel pulled the chair closer. "In an Air Force base in Colorado Springs," he explained.

"Why?"

"You were transported here from Cairo yesterday. You've got a couple of broken ribs and have had surgery to stop some internal bleeding."

"Yeah, feels like it," Steven groaned as he shifted on the bed slightly. "What happened?"

"A wall collapsed."

"It did?" Steven frowned. "I don't remember that," he shook his head. "I remember going to Egypt with the Amulet and meeting Sarah… Oh my God, Sarah! Where's Sarah, Daniel?" He sat up straighter and glanced round the room. "Where is she?"

"Calm down," Daniel urged when Steven groaned in pain. "She's not here."

"I can see that," Steven growled as he flopped back against his pillow. "What the hell happened to her?"

"She...umm…"

"Her eyes glowed, Daniel! It was as if she was possessed. What the hell happened to her? What's going on – no bull shit. Things aren't adding up, Daniel!"

"You had a blow to the head…"

"The hell I did! I know what happened to me and it wasn't anything to do with some collapsed wall so, I repeat – What's going on?"

Daniel glanced at Jack who just nodded in response and, after taking a deep breath, he began…

"Okay, you're currently in a top secret military facility called Stargate Command. In 1928 in Giza, Egypt, Archaeologists uncovered an ancient device, capable of instantaneous transportation to other planets by way of a subspace wormhole…"

xxx

Daniel was struggling. Jack could see it from where he stood by the way his friends hand shook, by the way he rubbed his temples and by the way he was going round in circles as he tried to explain the Stargate programme to Steven.

It was time to step in.

"Listen," he moved closer to the bed. "Why don't we call it a day?" He suggested. "You're both tired and things are getting muddled."

"I'm sorry," Steven turned to face him. "And, who are you?" He scowled, obviously not happy about being interrupted.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Daniel stuttered. "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill and he is the commanding officer in charge of SG1."

Steven turned back to Daniel. "SG1? Your team as you call it?"

"Yes. Jack is senior officer and has been with the Stargate Programme from the beginning."

"Military?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Ack!" Jack quickly interrupted. "This is why you need to quit. You've been through this before. Enough. Get some rest and we'll pick this up in the morning."

"But, Jack…"

"No 'but Jack', Daniel. You've both been through a tough few days and I know all this is a shock, Doctor Rayner. You need to recover some more before we go any further. I'm going to suggest to General Hammond that we get the mission reports from the first few missions – that would be the easiest way of explaining things."

"Good idea," Daniel agreed. "I'm sorry I've bombarded you with all this, Steven. I know it's hard to get your head around everything."

Steven sighed and rested his head back. "I don't know what to think. What to believe. Everything is so unbelievable, so out there."

"That's why you need to stop, let things sink in and then start again when you're both firing on more cylinders."

Daniel hung his head. Jack was right. He was so tired he could barely think straight yet alone explain the programme and goodness knew how Steven felt! Yes, they needed to stop.

"Okay," he mumbled and glanced up at Steven who nodded and closed his eyes.

"Right. Doctor Rayner – get some sleep and Doctor Jackson – you're with me."

Decision made.

Xxx

"Easy." Jack placed a hand on Daniel's arm when he stumbled again. The short walk down the corridor seemed unending as Daniel weaved from side to side. "You okay?"

"Mmmm." Daniel hung his head, rested a hand on the wall and swayed.

"Daniel?"

"Dizzy. Really dizzy." Daniel groaned and Jack moved to his side and supported him in an attempt to keep him on his feet but Daniel's legs started to buckle.

"Let's get you sitting down," Jack gently helped him to sit and Daniel immediately rested his head on his knees, which he had drawn up as he sat. Jack rubbed his back. "Take some deep breaths," he urged softly.

Daniel managed to nod as he tried to control his spinning world.

Jack sat patiently next to him, expecting Daniel lift his head and tell him he was fine but Daniel continued to moan. "No better?"

"N-need to lie d-down," Daniel admitted eventually and Jack called an airman over.

"Can you fetch Doc Fraiser? Tell her to bring a wheel chair."

"Yes, sir," the airman nodded and hurried away.

Jack turned his attention back to Daniel who was still moaning softly. "How long have you felt dizzy?"

"On and off, most of the day," Daniel managed to admit. "Got worse sitting in the ICU."

"I'm not surprised. You're explanation was making my head spin too," Jack nudged shoulders as he teased the struggling man. "You went round in circles figuratively as well as physically."

"Figuratively?" Daniel snorted. "That's a big word for you."

"Yes, well – I can fancy speak too, I'll have you know Doc Jackson." Jack kept up the light-hearted banter as they waited for the medical personnel. "You're going to have to come up with some fancy speak too when the Doc arrives." Jack glanced at Janet when she hurried round the corner and gave her a sad smile.

"She doesn't scare me," Daniel's shrug of indifference ended with another groan.

"Well, she should." Doctor Janet Fraiser stated, quickly kneeling in front of him. "What's going on, Daniel?" She asked softly as she took his pulse.

"Dizzy."

"Anything else?"

"Nauseous. Headache."

"Okay," Janet tipped his chin, shone her penlight in his eyes, and apologized when Daniel just groaned in response. "Let's get you back to the infirmary," she called over the airman waiting to one side with a wheel chair.

"I just need to sleep. I don't need to be in the infirmary."

"Humor me, Daniel," Janet said as she moved to allow the airman and Jack ease Daniel to his feet and then into the chair. "Your pulse is racing and your dizziness is more like vertigo. You'll be more comfortable with some of my wonder drugs running I can assure you."

Daniel wanted to protest but the corridor continued to loop around him so he rested his head in his hands again and allowed Jack to steer him towards the infirmary again.

Ah, the ribbon device it really was the gift that kept on giving.

xxx

Janet pulled the curtains round Daniel's bed, turned and bumped straight into Jack O'Neill who had stood patiently out of the way while she'd examined her patient.

"He gonna be okay?"

"He's going to be fine," she smiled. "He just over did things. I've popped him back on a drip and hopefully he will get a good night's sleep and feel better in the morning," she re assured.

Daniel had practically been sleeping by the time they'd made it to the infirmary and had barely reacted to being changed into some scrubs or an IV being put in place. Janet had added some anti-nausea medication and a glucose drip, figuring that Daniel hadn't eaten for a while which would have gone a long way towards his semi collapse. She would re do a MRI later but, for now, she was happy that he was comfortable enough to sleep.

"It's been a long few days," she continued as she packed her supplies away. "Why don't you head off, sir? Daniel won't be awake until the morning and there is little you can do here."

Jack shoved his hands deep in his pocket feeling slightly awkward and out of place. He was feeling like a stranger butting into a situation he knew nothing about. "What was Hammond thinking letting you guys go off on your own," he stated harsher than he actually meant to and Janet immediately reacted.

"Begging your pardon – sir! I am an air force officer first and more than capable of holding my own during an emergency situation!"

"That's not what I meant'," Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Hell – I don't know what I meant," he admitted. "It's just…"

"It's just that you're feeling guilty?" Janet suggested, quickly changing her tone when she noticed how exhausted Jack looked.

"Yeah. I should have been there – watching your six."

"You weren't to know, sir. None of us did."

"I know that but, here we are again – picking up the pieces as Daniel loses yet another person in his life to the Goa'uld."

"Daniel will be fine."

"Daniel was struggling to know what to say."

"To Steven?" Janet frowned.

"Yes, to Steven. He didn't believe the story made up by the powers that be any more than we did."

"So what did Daniel say?"

"He had to come clean," Jack shrugged.

"About the Stargate?"

"Yup."

"Why was I not told about this. Daniel was really in no condition to deal with that sort of stress let alone Doctor Rayner!"

"Steven woke up – asked for Daniel and demanded to know what had happened. Daniel tried to go with the cover up but Steven was having none of it so Daniel had no other choice but to tell him the truth."

"How did Steven react?"

"How do you think he reacted?"

Janet quickly closed the medicine cabinet. "Right. I think I'd best check in on the ICU. Goodness know what state of mind Steven is in." She grabbed her stethoscope and hung it round her neck. "Get some rest, Colonel," she called over her shoulder as she hurried out of the infirmary. "And that's an order!"

xxx

Jack knew from Daniel's body language that he was one unhappy bunny this morning. He was sittling, bolt upright, arms crossed and staring into space – a sure sign that things were not going his way.

"Hey," Jack breezed, hoping to keep things upbeat. "How're ya doin'?"

"Oh, peachy," Daniel shrugged. "Just peachy."

"Sleep well?"

"Yup."

"Feeling better?"

"Yup."

Okay, he needed to tread carefully. If Daniel slept well and he felt, better why was he still in the infirmary?

"I take it that Fraiser disagrees?"

"I was only slightly dizzy," Daniel's head snapped round so he faced Jack. "It was no big deal."

"Back up – when were you slightly dizzy?"

"When I went for a shower."

"Ah, I see."

"Janet totally over reacted and now I've got to stay for another day!"

"I'm sorry. I know that's not what you want."

"No it isn't. I feel fine. I just want to go home!"

"Just humor the Doc and do as you're told. You don't want to have a dizzy spell at home and be carted straight back here."

"I'm fed up."

"I know you are."

"I've got a lot to do. I need to go through things with Steven. He must be so confused."

"That's all in hand."

"It is?" Daniel frowned.

"Yup." Jack held up the file he had in his hand. "I'm going to go through our first mission to Abydos with him."

"Oh, right, I see. Have they said how he is his morning?"

"He had a good night apparently. I think Doc is going to transfer him to the ward later today and then home in a couple of days."

"He doesn't have a home, not here anyway."

"That's something else we're going to discuss."

"I should be there."

"No you shouldn't. You should be in bed, resting and doing everything Doctor Fraiser tells you. We'll need you firing on all cylinders at a later stage. I've got this."

"I need to…"

The appearance of a nurse with a tray of food for him cut Daniel's continual protest short... "Doctor Fraiser says that you should eat all of this, Doctor Jackson."

"See you later," Jack called over his shoulder as he took his leave. "Eat, Daniel."

Jack knew that Daniel had rolled his eyes and huffed behind his back and he couldn't really blame him, he must feel so frustrated.

He'd take the pressure off him for a while - it was the least he could do.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry it has taken me so long to update - my fickle muse went into hiding for a while.

"So," Steven turned a page, scanned the next one and turned it back again. "Daniel chose to stay?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because of Sha're."

"Daniel stayed because of a girl – gave up his life on Earth because of a girl?"

"That surprises you?"

"Actually, yes." Steven closed the file and rested back against his pillows. "That doesn't sound like the Daniel I know."

"Go on," Jack urged as he pulled up a chair.

"Daniel didn't do girls," Steven shrugged.

"Oh?"

"Don't get me wrong but Daniel's passion was his work. There was no time in his life for girls."

"Oh, I see."

"Sarah adored him."

"Sarah Gardiner?"

"Yeah. She worshiped him and for a long time they were an item, marriage material or so she thought and hoped but Daniel would submerge himself in his work for hours, days, weeks, months at a time. Sarah wouldn't get a look in. It wasn't that he didn't care it was more that he cared about his work more. Despite her best efforts, they finally drifted a part and Sarah ended it, telling him that he was going to end up a lonely, bitter old man like his Grandfather. Daniel didn't take that well and ended up walking out half way through his rotation. The last thing anyone heard of him was that he was lecturing to an empty room about his wild theories of Alien landing pads…"

"Which turned out to be correct."

"Amazingly so – yes."

"Well – your loss was our gain. His brilliant mind figured out how to activate the Stargate."

"He was always ahead of his time. Professor Jordan never really got over his disappearance, Sarah neither. They would spend hours searching for any signs of him and had actually come to the conclusion that was either dead or holed up in a remote dig for years."

"Yes, well – in fact he was planet hopping."

"Something I'm struggling to get my head round to be honest."

"Join the club," Jack shrugged. "It took me an age and a trip through the worm hole to convince me."

"Why did Daniel return to Earth?"

"Well," Jack sat back in his chair, knowing that this was going to take some explaining. It wasn't until he started to tell the tale of the Stargate that he really realized how far-fetched it all sounded. "I told Daniel to bury the Stargate on Abydos – I didn't want to nuke the Abydonians, I'd grown very fond of them. I lied to Washington, told them that the threat to Earth had been destroyed and then carried on with my retirement. The programme almost became obsolete until one day Earth had a visitation from a patrol of Goa'uld through our own Gate. It was then I had to come clean and we contacted Daniel on Abydos to see if the threat had come from his end."

"And, had it?"

"Nope. We sent a team through, met up with Daniel and his team and his now beautiful wife."

"Daniel got married?"

"Oh, yeah. He lived in wedded bliss on Abydos, tutoring the peasants and figuring out that there was another Gate system – a system that opened up further more dangerous threats to Earths' safety."

"So you dragged Daniel back home?"

"Nope. While we were on Abydos one of the particularly nasty Goa'uld 'Gods' came through the Gate and grabbed his wife and brother in law, stuck a symbiott in their stomach and escaped to another planet. We then spent years, planet hopping in the hope in finding them."

"And did you?"

"Yes, eventually but sadly, Sha're was killed."

"Oh?"

"That's a story for another time; something I'm sure Daniel will fill you in on."

"No, I'd…"

"Believe me – I've only just scratched the surface with all this. There's so much more to it."

"I just… I just can't believe what I'm hearing to be honest," Steven, sighed.

"And you won't until you experience it."

"What are you saying?" Steven frowned. "What do you mean – 'until' I experience it?"

"Well, the suggestion from Washington is that we offer you a place on the programme."

"To keep me quiet?"

"In a way – yes."

"I suppose that a secret of this magnitude needs to be controlled. You can't risk this getting out."

"Exactly."

"What's in it for me? I mean, I could demand millions for this story."

"You will be laughed at all the way to the loony bin."

"Like Daniel would have been."

"Like Daniel would have been."

"If you put it like that I don't really have much of a choice do I?"

"Not really."

"Can I think about it?"

"Of course. You should discuss it more with Daniel when he's back on his feet."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Too many run ins with a Goa'uld ribbon devise."

"Which is?"

"Something you need to ask…"

"…Daniel."

"Yup." Jack stood and returned his chair to where it had been. "I've bombarded you with enough information for one day. Get some rest. Daniel will be by later I expect."

"Right, yes – okay," Steven nodded and inched down in bed.

Jack could only imagine how confused and amazed the young archaeologist must feel – actually, scrub that. He knew very well how confused and amazed he must feel. "Listen. Things will make sense soon, I promise. Just keep an open mind."

"Okay," Steven sighed. "I will."

"Good. Catch you later." Jack pulled the curtain half way round Steven's bed and then left him to rest. He needed to fill Daniel in about the conversation.

Things seemed to be spiraling a little.

Xxx

"Right," Janet stood in front of her patient, arms crossed and ready for battle. "I will discharge you but there are a few stipulations, right?"

"I'm fine, Janet."

"If you say so," Janet shrugged. "Your symptoms tell a different story which is why I am insisting that you stay at Colonel O'Neill's for a few days."

"No. Honestly, I can manage…"

"This is not for discussion. I know you, Daniel. You need someone around to make sure you rest and eat healthily, and by healthily I mean no caffeine and no junk food."

"You obviously haven't seen Jack's cupboards…"

"He's had his orders too."

"I'm sure he has," Daniel sighed heavily and hung his head, knowing that nothing he said would change Janet's mind the mood she was in at the moment.

"No working, no computer," Janet continued as if Daniel hadn't commented. "Stick to your medication regime and light exercise would help if you feel up to it."

"Yes, Janet," Daniel's response was monotone and flat. He was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Janet instantly read his mood and quickly realized that the lecture needed to stop. "It's only for a few days, Daniel. You need to allow yourself to recover fully if you're to help Steven."

"I know."

"He's going to need all your support."

"I know."

"I'm going to insist he stays in the infirmary for another week, that will give you time to get your strength back."

"Okay."

"I know this sucks," Janet sighed. "But you know I'm right."

Daniel slowly lifted his head. "It does suck," he shrugged. "But, you are right," he added with a ghost of a smile.

Janet returned his smile and patted his knee. "Good. Nice to see we are on the right wave length for a change," she said and then checked her watch. "Right, you've got one hour to shower and change – Jack is just debriefing the General and then you're all his."

"De briefing the General about what?" Daniel frowned.

"Just an update re a conversation he had with Steven I think."

"Are you still transferring him to the ward today?"

"Yup. As soon as you're out of my hair."

"Can I see him? I want to…"

"Ack!" Janet held up a hand. "No visitors, not today or tomorrow either for that matter. He needs to rest and avoid any more stress. I don't think that his conversation with Jack helped much and I'm going to insist that we slow things down until you are both stronger to deal with the situation. Do not fight me on this one."

Daniel sighed heavily but nodded in agreement.

"Good," Janet gathered in her charts. "I'm going to sort your medication out while you shower. Call if you need any help."

"I will." Daniel agreed.

Janet gave him a quick smile and then made her way out of the infirmary. She knew he wasn't happy about the arrangements but she was happy that he hadn't really put up much of a fight.

That in itself to her how he really felt.

xxx

"I'm just gonna rake the yard. Do you need anything before I go?"

Jack had watched Daniel fighting sleep for nearly half an hour and figured he'd give his friend some space so he could get let go and give into his obvious exhaustion without an audience.

"I'm fine," Daniel smiled back. "I'm just gonna…" he whirled his fingers in the air as a way of explanation.

"…get some sleep?" Jack finished his sentence and Daniel nodded.

"Sorry, I'm not much company."

Jack shrugged as he pushed himself out of his chair. "You're not supposed to be. Sleep, eat and generally do nothing is what the Doc ordered so, sleep, eat and do nothing. I'm only a yell away."

Daniel slowly laid down on the couch, using a cushion as a pillow and yawned. "Don't let me sleep to long. I won't sleep tonight," he yawned again.

Jack wondered over to the couch, grabbed the throw off the back of it and covered Daniel. "Yell if you need anything."

Daniel nodded and closed his eyes.

Jack stood and watched his friend give into his exhaustion. He knew that Daniel had argued with Janet about not going to his own flat but was glad the Doc had put her foot down in the end. It was a guilt thing.

Guilt about not being there to watch his six. Guilt because Daniel had been ribboned again and guilt because the young man had lost another person he care for to the Goa'uld.

Guilt was fast becoming Jack O'Neill's middle name.

Xxx

Daniel pushed out two Tylenol out of a blister pack, quickly washed them down with a glass of water and then re filled his glass. He had woken from his nap feeling more human but he still had the tug of his ever-present headache behind his eyes. Thankfully his nausea had all but disappeared though, in fact he felt hungry for the first time in days.

He wondered over to the kitchen table, sat down and reached for the pile of take away menus Jack kept in the draw. He was thumbing through them went the back door opened.

"Hey," he smiled at Jack.

"Hey," Jack smiled back as he crossed to the sink. "How you feeling?" He asked as he started to wash his hands.

"Better," Daniel nodded and swapped menus.

Jack glanced over his shoulder. "Hungry?"

"Um, yeah."

"What do you fancy?"

"I don't know," Daniel turned the menu over. "Chinese?"

"Something light like Chicken noodle soup?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Daniel agreed and tossed the menu on the table **.**

"Okay." Jack wiped his hands and joined Daniel at the table. "I'll place the order," he smiled as he snagged the phone. While he placed the order, he watched Daniel place his head in his hands and close his eyes. Although his friend looked better, he was obviously still struggling with his headache. "Headache no better?" He asked after disconnecting the call.

"Better," Daniel nodded. "I'm just so damn tired."

"Well, that's what happens when you're ribboned," Jack shrugged.

"I know."

"You won't feel like this forever."

"I know."

Jack sat back in his chair. "I had a very interesting chat with your friend by the way."

Daniel lifted his head and squinted at Jack. "Steven?"

"Yup."

"Go on."

"Well, he told me that you weren't much of a ladies man."

"I had my moments," Daniel shrugged and rested his head in his hands again.

"Sarah?"

"Yeah, Sarah – for a while, until my obsession pushed her away."

"That must have been hard."

"For Sarah, yes. Me – I was lost in my work. I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. We didn't end it well." Daniel grimaced at his worlds, worlds that reminded him of the conversation he'd had with Sarah at Professor Jordan's funeral. "Anyway," he quickly cleared his throat. "We both moved on."

"It's the moving on part that Steven was shocked at."

"Oh?"

"Yeah – he was kinda surprised that you gave everything up for Sha're."

"I was surprised myself. You were there, you know what happened. She just stole my heart. I didn't see it coming."

"I know."

"It's not like I ever forgot about Sarah and my world in Chicago. It was just my life had been turned on its head by the Stargate programme. I should have kept in touch."

"And said what? Sorry I haven't visited – I'm too busy planet hopping?"

"Well…"

"You did the right thing, you had different priorities."

"I know."

"Steven and Sarah will understand now."

"If we find Sarah."

"Which we will."

Daniel shrugged in response.

"Hey, come on Daniel. You know we will – we're SG1!"

"Sure we are," Daniel smiled.

"We're the good guys and the good guys always win out in the end."

"I'm not sure I share your optimism Jack, but I'm never going to stop looking for her – like I never stopped searching for Sha're."

"I know and we'll help you all the way."

"Thanks. That means a lot."

"It's what we do." Jack paused for a moment and then stood. "Right. Eat here or in the lounge?"

"Here's fine," Daniel mumbled into his arms. "Don't feel like moving."

"Here it is then," Jack nodded as he crossed the kitchen. "I'll get the bowls. You stay there doing your not moving stuff."

"Will do," Daniel held a hand up and gave Jack a thumbs up. "Not moving."

Jack smiled as he opened the cupboards. It was nice to get back into the old 'Jack/Daniel' quipping routine.

Things seemed to be getting back to normal finally.

xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Hi, I can only apologise for not updating my latest story. Just before Christmas, I had to under go major abdominal surgery which turned out to be life saving in the end. I am now on the way towards recovery but it has been hard. As soon as I am well enough, I will continue with my writing and will update as soon as I can.

Many thanks for all of your patience.

PinkyRidz x


	7. Chapter 7

So sorry for the long wait - xxx

"Hey, Water," Daniel smiled at the Chief Master Sergeant as he and Stephen made their way into the control room.

"Hey, Doctor J," Walter Harriman returned the smile.

"Who's due back next?" Daniel continued as he looked down on to the embarkation room.

"SG8 are scheduled to return in four minutes."

"Mind if we wait?"

"Of course not."

It had now been ten days since Janet had released Daniel into Jack's care and he had just returned to light duties. Stephen had also been deemed recovered enough to begin his training with his designated SG team, something he would start in the morning and Daniel was just giving him the in-depth tour of the facility – the Gate room being their final stop.

"So," Stephen stood next to Daniel. "Now what?"

"Now we wait," Daniel shrugged.

"You know," Stephen continued. "I thought it would be bigger than that."

"What? The Gate?"

"Yes Daniel, the Gate."

"Nope," Daniel shrugged again. "One size fits all."

"Doesn't really look that much," Stephen sighed as he leant against the control room table. "I mean, I thought it would be all…I dunno…all sort of…"

"Fireworks? Dramatic music?"

"Kind of, yes."

"Just wait," Daniel turned and gave his friend a reassuring smile, knowing that within five minutes he wouldn't believe what he was watching.

They stood in silence, Daniel counting down the minutes on his watch until the familiar alarms sounded.

"Off world activation!"

Stephen crossed to Daniel's side and watched the Chevrons engage and then the blast door close. "Why the security?" he frowned.

"We have to make sure that who we think are trying to come through are who we are expecting – we've been caught out in the past. Each SG team have their own Garage Door Opener of GDO as we call it which transmits an IDC – Iris Deactivation Code to confirm who they are so we just wait for that confirmation before we welcome them home."

"Receiving SG8's IDC," Walter quickly called, the blast door retracted, and the event horizon whooshed into life.

"Wow!" Stephen exclaimed. "That's, that's…"

"Cool huh?" Daniel grinned.

"Yeah, cool," Stephen nodded and returned the grin as he then watched the team saunter down the ramp and give a quick wave before making their way out of the embarkation room as the Stargate closed down.

"Now they go and get themselves checked out in the infirmary," Daniel explained. "Doctor Fraiser and her team make sure they haven't brought something nasty with them to infect the planet as well as making sure they return as healthy as they left. There will then be time for a quick shower and something to eat before the standard de brief."

"That's amazing." Stephen glanced at the now dormant Gate. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"Oh yeah and you figured out how it worked?"

"It wasn't just me," Daniel slowly nodded as he replied. "The scientists had done most of the work; I just put things together to come up with the final piece of the jigsaw."

"That's not how Jack described it."

"Yes, well – Jack O'Neill tends to exaggerate," Daniel chuckled. "Anyway," he then quickly changed the subject. "Are you settled into the VIP room now?" he asked as he turned and led the way out of the control room, giving Walter a nod of thanks as he passed him.

"Yeah, it's fine for now," Stephen shrugged. "After my training I'm going to look for a flat close to the base."

"Yeah, I did that. When does your training start?"

"Tomorrow morning, 0600 hours."

"Ouch," Daniel chuckled as they reached the elevator.

"Ouch indeed," Stephen agreed. "It's what they call the survival weekend. Apparently we are going to be dropped in the middle of nowhere and then have to get ourselves back to the mountain."

Daniel punched in the floor number. "Trust your team. SG15 is a good team. Colonel Wallace is a good leader. You'll be fine."

The elevator door opened and the two men entered. "Marcus Raines is an excellent, if over confident archaeologist. Learn from him. He has been with the programme along time and knows exactly what he is talking about."

"Yeah," Stephen sighed. "I just wish you were coming."

"I do too but I have got a lot of catching up to do before SG1's next mission I'm afraid."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Actually," Daniel pressed the number for his floor. "If you've got a spare hour or so, I would value your input on a translation I'm working on."

"No problem, it would be great to work together again."

"Yes it would," Daniel agreed with a smile as the elevator started.

Maybe something good would come out of this whole mess.

Maybe he and Stephen would become friends again.

Xxx

Stephen was cold, hungry, tired and wondering what the hell he'd got himself into! Thankfully, they would be back at the base in the morning, which meant this would be his last night, his last tasteless camp meal and the last tedious, mind numbingly boring gathering of the team.

At first he had been excited about his adventure but as the weekend drew on he'd found the team members had started to grate on his nerves, Doctor Marcus Raines in particular.

The archaeologist was a know it all. There wasn't anything that he didn't have an opinion on, an opinion that he deemed correct at all times.

Stephen was just bored of his voice and his heart sank when Marcus gestured that he should sit next to him at the evening meal.

"I hope you took notes today, Doctor Raymer," Marcus spoke as he ate. "Doctor Jackson expects an in-depth debrief after all missions."

Stephen slowly lowered himself onto the log next to Marcus. "Does Doctor Jackson view a survival weekend as a mission?" He frowned.

"Oh, yes," Marcus nodded. "He views any exportation as a team as being a mission so to speak. It's something that Colonel O'Neill has instilled in him."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Actually, these training missions are the closet most of us archaeologists get to going off world. That privilege is reserved for Doctor Jackson and a few senior archaeologists and linguists who have been handpicked to join SG2 or SG3 or, someone who will be drafted into SG1 if Doctor Jackson is not available."

Stephen tucked into his meal while they continued the conversation. "So, have you ever been off world?"

"Goodness, no. The closest I ever came was after Doctor Jackson had his appendix removed and was forced to recover on the base while his team then 'saved the world' again," Marcus shrugged. "I had been next on the rota cover but O'Neill chose not to call in a replacement."

"Didn't that annoy you?"

"Yes, no – umm, well. I suppose so but it is so rare for other members of the department to get the main gig that I wasn't really surprised to be honest."

"So you're saying that, if I join the archaeology department the chances of me actually going through the Stargate are slim to impossible?"

"Yes, I suppose so. It would depend on Doctor Jackson's availability."

"He must be very well thought of."

"Of course. He is the top expert in his field."

"So I'm realizing," Stephen gave the bumbling archaeologist a tight smile and then turned his attention to his MRE once more.

As he ate, he questioned his decision about joining the program. He had competed with Daniel Jackson most of his professional life and did not intend to carry on in the same vein now.

There must be a way of getting himself on to a team to go off world – Daniel wasn't the only genius. He just needed to find a way of proving himself invaluable even if that meant trampling on 'someone's' toes to get there.

He was not going to settle on just being a part of the back team at Stargate Command that was for sure.

Xxx

Stephen dropped his bag on his bed and hurried over to power up the computer in his room.

He needed to do some research. He had figured that the only way he was ever going to get himself on the main team would be if he could physically side line Daniel for a while. Knowing that SG1 were due to go off world the tomorrow, he only had a small window of opportunity so needed something fast acting and invisible to clip his friends wings so he could prove himself invaluable to the Colonel and Stargate Command.

He quickly typed in Google and began his search, formulating in his mind how he was going to persuade Daniel to recommend that he was the perfect choice for the mission as he worked on a way of getting rid of his friend for a few days.

xxx

"Hey."

Daniel looked up from his work and smiled at Stephen when he appeared in his doorway.

"Hey. When did you get back?"

"Oh, first thing this morning," Stephen shrugged.

"Did you have fun?" Daniel chuckled, sitting back in his chair.

"Oh, I had a blast," Stephen rolled his eyes. "I learnt so much," he added sarcastically.

"Ah, Doctor Raines…"

"Is a bumbling professor."

"Yes," Daniel nodded slowly. "Yes he is but he is also a valuable part of my base team."

"Oh, he worships you." Stephen stated as he took a seat. "He has you on some sort of a pedestal. In fact it seems like most people around here do."

"Yes, well," Daniel flustered, feeling a little embarrassed at his friend's statement. "I've been doing my job for a long time now. I suppose I sort of know what I'm doing."

"It appears you do," Stephen smiled. "Doctor Jordan would be very proud."

"Oh, I don't know about that. His opinion of my work wasn't that high when I left."

"Well, he always saw you as a genius, one of his golden protégés. I never matched up to you."

"Oh, I'm sure you did. Don't sell yourself short Stephen."

"Yes, well. We will never know what he really thought now, will we?"

"I suppose we won't," Daniel admitted with a sigh and then cleared his throat, deciding to change the subject, his emotions regarding Professor Jordan's premature death still very raw. "So, you survived survival camp then?"

"Yes I did."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"In some perverted way I suppose I did although I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a solider."

"I didn't think I would be either but it is something that actually gets easier the more trips through the gate you make. Teal'c will be more than happy to give you some one on one combat sessions if you ask and Sam and Jack are highly trained soldiers who will be happy to offer any help you need."

"I'll take that into consideration," Stephen nodded.

"And I'm always available if you need any help linguistically."

"Thank you. Of course, if you need any help yourself I do know a thing or two about archaeology," Stephen grinned.

"Yes you do," Daniel agreed.

"Actually, are you still doing research for your next mission?"

"I'm in the middle of it now."

"Do you need a fresh pair of eyes? I've had a few ideas following on from our work last week."

"That would be great, thanks."

Stephen eagerly pulled his chair next to Daniels. "Well, I've come to the conclusion," he began as he pulled some notes he'd been making out of his pocket and Daniel powered up his computer once more.

The two men then lost themselves in their work, Stephen eagerly offering his opinions and thoughts on the translations and markings Daniel had unearthed on the mission.

Stage one of his plan had begun.

xxx

"I don't know about you," Stephen stretched and yawned, "but I'm going a little boggled eyed. How about I do a caffeine run? See if they've got any apple pie in the canteen?"

Daniel sat back in his chair and mirrored Stephen's tired stretch. "Sounds like a plan," he agreed with a smile.

Stephen quickly stood, grabbed his jacket and turned to leave. "Don't get doing anything while I'm away," he stated. "I've got an idea for the next bit."

"Not intending to," Daniel smiled. "I've just got to check a few things out with Jack." He picked up the phone and dialled his friend's office.

Stephen put his jacket on and patted his pocket to make sure the little plastic bottle was still there.

Stage two of his plan was about to begin.

Xxx

Stephen felt like a naughty schoolboy as he ducked into a cubicle in the men's washroom, as if he was about to prank the principle.

Placing the tray of coffee and pie on the floor, he removed the bottle of eye drops out of his pocket. It was very interesting the stuff you could pick up from the internet. He just needed to put a few drops in Daniel's coffee and then wait. It wouldn't cause him too much damage but it should make his nemesis sick enough not to be able function too far away from the safety of his bathroom for a day or two and that day or two would be his chance to shine and secure his place on one of the premier teams.

Stephen quickly added three drops into Daniel's coffee, paused and then added another for good measure. He stirred the drink and then popped the eye drops back into his pocket. After flushing the toilet for effect, he picked up the tray and made his way back to Daniel's office.

Daniel was still on the phone to Jack but smiled his thanks when Stephen sat down and handed him his cup of coffee.

As Daniel then took a long swig of his drink in between his conversation with Jack, Stephen sat back in his chair and watch his friend with a triumphant grin on his face.

That had been easier than he thought.

Now all he had to do was sit back and wait for the addition to the coffee to take effect.

Daniel would be fine in a few days and Stephen would use his absence from the team to prove himself invaluable.

There was nothing wrong in that.

Xxx

Daniel tossed his keys into the fruit bowl and kicked the door closed behind him. After dumping his files onto the coffee table, he wandered into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

He had had a very productive afternoon with Stephen and was grateful for his input on a particular translation that had stumped him. Actually, Stephen's help had meant that he'd finished the main bulk of the work quicker than he'd thought and Daniel was grateful for that as he didn't relish working through the night tonight.

In fact, he was looking forward to an early night for a change. They weren't due to go off world until midday tomorrow so it gave Daniel plenty of time to sleep off the headache that had hit as he left the mountain – a headache that seemed to be now morphing into a migraine with the addition of a rolling stomach

Forgoing the coffee, Daniel poured himself a glass of water, tossed back two Tylenol and then made his way into the bathroom. A good soak in the bath would do him the world of good.

He ran the bath and added in some of the bath salts that Sam had given him for Christmas. While he waited for the bath to fill, he sat on the closed lid of the toilet, placed his head in his hands and willed the painkillers to work quicker.

Xxx

Stephen crept back into Daniel's office and powered up the computer again.

After checking that Daniel had defiantly signed out of the day to go home, he'd hurried back to make the most of the evening of preparation he hoped he had ahead.

He needed to know the mission remit inside and out so he could argue the case that he should replace Daniel Jackson on SG1 tomorrow.

Xxx

Daniel sank to his knees in front of the toilet, groaned and rocked.

So much for the soak in the bath doing him the world of good.

The light doze he had achieved in the warm water had been ruined by the sudden urge to vomit. With the coordination of a baby deer, he had slithered out of the bath and stumbled over to the toilet, dripping wet and feeling truly awful.

With one arm wrapped round his cramping stomach, he lifted the lid of the toilet with his other, rested his aching head on the rim and waited for the inevitable.

Within seconds, he lost the battle with his stomach, sobbing as he did so.

His vomiting spell took his breath away and he wandered what the hell had made him so be so violently sick. It wasn't like one of his usual migraines where he would be nauseous for a while before having to practically stick his fingers down his throat in order to vomit and feel better.

Perhaps it was a bug or maybe it was something that he'd eaten?

Mind you, they were learning more and more about the effects of the ribbon devise – perhaps this was just one of those 'morphing effects' that Janet kept harking on about and he'd feel better after another good night's sleep.

Daniel maintained his position in front of the toilet until he was sure he had finished vomiting and then stood on shaking legs, grabbed a towel, wrapped it round his shivering body and staggered into to his bedroom.

After quickly closing his drapes, he dried off, struggled into a pair of sweats and climbed into bed where he buried his head under his covers and curled into a ball, feeling cold, exhausted and unwell.

Xxx

"Damn it!" Daniel struggled to sit up, an arm wrapped round his cramping stomach again. A glance at his bedside clock told him that it was 3am so he must have slept for a while. Sadly, he was now wide-awake, freezing cold and feeling incredibly sick again.

He actually felt as if he was on the brink of an out and out panic attack. His hands were shaking, he could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears and he was struggling to take a deep breath.

This was some bug.

Resting his head back, he tried to calm down but another wave of nausea had him stumbling towards the bathroom once more.

Xxx

The next glance at the clock told Daniel that it was now 6am. He must have fallen asleep on the bathroom floor after his latest vomiting spell, as he'd lost time.

Although he still felt shaky and woozy, he did thankfully, feel a little better but he also knew that he had been ill enough to scrub himself from today's mission. He had long since learnt to be sensible where his health and work balance was concerned. The fact that his appendix had all but blown off world after he'd knowingly ignoring the signs for several days, really brought home how dangerous it was to ignore his body's aliments so, with a heavy heart, he picked up the phone.

"Hi, it's Daniel Jackson. Can you patch me through to General Hammond please?"

xxx

Daniel blindly reached for the phone and cleared his throat, knowing before he answered it who was calling.

"Jack."

"Daniel. How ya feeling?"

"Washed out," Daniel admitted as he slowly sat up in bed.

"So, Hammond said you've got a stomach bug?"

"Yeah, think so. Been vomiting on and off most of the night. Feel a bit better now, just washed out and weak."

"Kept anything down?"

"Few sips of water."

"Doc wants to know if she needs to pop round."

"Nah. I'm sure I'm over the worse now. Just need to catch up on some sleep."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"The mission is still a go."

"Good."

"Replacement?"

"Um, Raferty is on standby but, um," Daniel thought for a moment. "Actually, I think this would be a good opportunity for Stephen."

"Raymer?"

"Yes. He's been helping me with the final translations for the presentations. I'm confident that he can handle it."

"I don't know if he's ready to go off world just yet…"

"He'll be fine. He's a quick learner and I'm sure you'll help him as much as you can."

"I'm not sure about…"

"Honestly Jack, he's your best bet. He is up to speed with everything."

Daniel could practically 'hear' Jack mulling over his suggestion.

"Stephen is more than capable to handle the presentation, Jack. I wouldn't put his name forward if I didn't think so."

"Okay," Jack capitulated with a heavy sigh. "We'll go in, do the presentation and come home. If the Happydays people aren't happy, too bad. We can always go back when you're firing on all cylinders again."

"The Hapendence," Daniel quickly corrected. "Please do not offend them, Jack. We need their wealth of knowledge."

"When are you ever gonna trust me, Danny boy," Jack teased.

"Never."

"Listen, don't get worrying about things. Just get some rest and feel better. We will be back the day after tomorrow."

"Look after Stephen."

"Will do. Go back to sleep, Daniel."

"Will do."

"Bye."

Daniel waited for Jack to hang up and then tossed the phone back onto his bedside cabinet and snuggled back down into the warmth of his bed and within minutes, he had surrendered to his exhaustion once more.

Xxx

Stephen made his way into the briefing room. "You wanted to see me, General?"

"Take a seat, Doctor Raymer," General Hammond ordered kindly and Stephen sat down opposite Jack.

"Doctor Jackson has called in sick today," Hammond continued.

"Oh – is he okay?" Sam quickly asked, knowing it was unusual for her teammate to be unwell.

"Stomach bug," Jack interjected. "Spoke to him this morning. He spent most of the night camped in the bathroom."

"Poor Daniel."

"Yup, poor Daniel."

"Well," Hammond brought the conversation at hand back. "As Doctor Jackson is not fit enough for this mission, he has suggested that Doctor Raymer takes his place."

"What? Me?" Stephen stated in mock surprise.

"Yes, Doctor Raymer. Doctor Jackson informed me that you have collaborated with him on the translations needed for this mission."

"Yes I did, but I don't know…"

"Daniel said that you were the best man for the job, Raymer," Jack stated with a shrug. "And he's usually right in these matters."

"Well, yes – okay, I could handle things I suppose."

"Good." Hammond closed his file. "That's settled then," he stated as he stood. "Doctor Raymer, I suggest you talk the team through the translations before you all get yourself cleared by Doctor Fraiser."

"Yes sir," Stephen nodded and then stood as the General left the room.

"Okay," Jack nodded at Stephen. "You're on, Raymer."

Stephen sat down again, accepted the file that Jack pushed towards him and, after clearing this throat, he began.

"So, Daniel advised…"

Xxx

Daniel was miserable.

He was now huddled in a quilt on the sofa after spending the morning dashing to and from the bathroom. His nausea had petered out but he was still struggling with an upset stomach and still couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness and panic. The temptation to call Janet was strong but he knew that his electrolytes were probably out of sync, causing him to feel like he did. Gatorade was fast becoming his best friend.

Although he was exhausted, he was finding it difficult to relax and give into it so, when the phone rang again, he was glad of the distraction.

"Daniel Jackson," he answered.

"Hey, Daniel. It's Stephen. How you doing?"

"Oh, I've been better," Daniel shrugged. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, why?"

"Just wondered if you felt sick too, we did work in close proximity yesterday."

"No. I'm fine. I've just had my pre mission medical."

"Ah, you're going off world then," Daniel stated with a smile.

"That's why I'm ringing. Thanks for the recommendation."

"You'll do fine, just relax and trust in your team."

"I must admit, I'm nervous."

"I'm sure you are, so was I on my first trip through the gate. Just take a deep breath and take that step."

"Yeah."

"You are one of the most confident men I have ever known, Stephen. Trust me, you'll be fine."

"It's more the presentation I'm worrying about. You have very big shoes to fill."

"Just be methodical. Go through the points we made yesterday. Menroy is a very understanding man. If you're not sure on anything just admit to it. We are due to return in a month or so anyway."

"I think I know what I'm talking about."

"You do. The points you made re the translation were spot on – they were things that I hadn't even thought about."

"I'll try my best."

"Try and relax and enjoy yourself, this isn't a combat mission so you'll be fine. Be guided by your team…" Daniel paused when another cramp tore at his guts. "Umm," he groaned.

"Daniel?"

"Listen. Umm. I gotta go, Stephen," Daniel stood quickly. "I've um… I gotta go. I'm not feeling too good," he admitted. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Feel better."

Daniel tossed the phone onto the sofa and rushed to the bathroom again.

Xxx

Stephen slowly put the phone down with a grin.

Mission accomplished.

Where he did feel a pang of guilt and regret over what he'd done he also knew that Daniel would be fully recovered in a day or two.

Until then though, it was his time to shine and he wasn't going to waste his opportunity.

He was then packing his things away when an airman appeared in his doorway.

"Doctor Raymer, your presence is requested in the Gate room."

"Of course," he nodded, picked up his pack and followed the airman out of the room and down the corridor to the elevator.

He was as ready as he was going to be.

xxx


End file.
